Tripit adds push notifications for travel alerts

Tripit -- which continues to rank as one of our top must-have Android apps for anyone who travels -- received an update of note this morning. For Android phones, it'll now push notifications when you have travel alerts (if you have Tripit Pro). That's a big deal. Also, it's now easier to add or edit trips directly on your phone. And for tablets, there are new share/add/edit buttons on the Action Bar, along with some bug fixes.

And if you're still fumbling through e-mails at the airport, looking for your itinerary, stop. Download this now.

SouthernLINC to get the Motorola XT626 in November

For you folks down here in my neck of the woods on SouthernLINC (represent!), you've got a new Android smartphone coming your way in November. According to this screen shot, you'll have the Motorola XT626 to look forward to in a couple months. It looks like SouthernLINC will be positioning it as a cousin to the Titanium, though it'll obviously be missing the QWERTY keyboard. It'll launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and otherwise looks to be the same as the XT626 "Double V" that's been out for a while now, with IDEN capability, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 processor and 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, an 8MP front-facing camera with a 1.3MP rear shooter, FM radio, microSD card and other bells and whistles.

What we don't yet have is pricing or an actual launch date, so stay tuned.

Motorola Atrix HD update brings camera, battery and Wifi tweaks

The first over-the-air update for Motorola and AT&T's Atrix HD is now rolling out, bringing the high definition handset up to software version 77.12.22. There's nothing too exciting contained in this initial OTA, and the software is still based on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. However, there's a decent selection of fixes to make this a worthwhile upgrade for Atrix HD owners -- Wifi and battery performance has been enhanced, as have the camera's low-light capabilities. In addition, there are some new AT&T apps, and security enhancements from "the latest Google security patches."

You can find the full changelog at the source link below. If you're rocking an Atrix HD, head to Settings > About phone > Software updates to see if your device is ready to pick up today's OTA. Once you're done, be sure to drop by the comments and let us know how you're getting on.

eBay app hits version 2.0 with UI redesign

The official eBay app for Android has just hit version 2.0, bringing a major facelift to the online auction app. When launching the new app you're greeted with a prominent search bar and My eBay, Motors and Sell an item options at the top. The rest of the front page is filled with useful items like reminders, messages, saved searches and eBay deals. The latest offering dumps legacy Menu button support and adds an overflow settings button instead, which reveals Sign in / Sign out, My eBay and a refresh button. Search has suggested entries, voice input and even barcode scanning right from the search box. There are a few other changes behind the scenes as well:

Find cars, trucks, motorcycles as well as compatible parts and accessories with the mobile-optimized eBay Motors experience (US only, more countries coming soon)

Improved My eBay list access

Simplified navigation throughout the app

View bidding history on an item

Add up to 12 photos when listing an item with the app

Users in Italy and Spain can now list items with the app

Payment support for Malaysia and Singapore

You can get your hands on the latest version of the app at the Google Play Store link above, and we've included a few screenshots of the new UI after the break.

The Motorola Droid RAZR M available today from Verizon

The Motorola Droid RAZR M should be sitting on shelves at Verizon stores nationwide and available online in a few short hours. The 4.3-inch LTE device will cost you $99 -- that's with a new contract and a $50 mail-in rebate -- and features an edge-to-edge Super AMOLED Advance display.

The RAZR M may not be Verizon's new Droid flagship, that moniker will likely hang on the RAZR HD Maxx, but from the looks of things it's a pretty darn capable phone. Check out Anndrew's review to see what we mean. The RAZR M looks like it carries on the RAZR name rather well.

Anyone heading out (or heading to the mailbox) to grab one of these mid-sized monsters today? Holler in the comments, and be sure to hit up the Razr M forums and share impressions -- we like pictures!

Rogers announces LTE expansion across Canada

Rogers has announced a few new LTE markets opening up across Canada on October 1. Kingston, Edmonton, Quebec City, Oakville, Burlington, London, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Barrie are all included, which puts Rogers well on track for their goal of offering LTE to 60% of the Canadian population before the end of the year. Typical speeds are 12 - 40 Mbps.

I'm sure the timing of the announcement has nothing to do with a certain LTE phone that was announced today. Any Canadians in these markets excited to get some LTE love? Got eyes on any new LTE handsets to take advantage of the new network?

Intel completes Android 4.1 Jelly Bean port

Intel has a short and shaky history of putting its chips into smartphones, one that will hopefully go a bit farther into the future now that it has completely ported Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Intel has to go through this porting process because Android is traditionally made for ARM processors, which operate differently from Intel's. Before this port was complete, Intel devices were only capable of running either Android 2.3 or 4.0. While no one at Intel was willing to give a timetable on when current 4.0 devices will be updated to 4.1, we can hope that the process goes smoothly. Intel's "Medfield" Atom processors seem to be a pretty good option right now, but we'll see how they do in the future against the onslaught of great ARM chips out there.

Working with NFC Tags, Playing with the Fire HD [From the Forums]

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

Jelly Bean rolling out for Canadian Galaxy Nexus phones

If you're a customer at one of the Canadian big carriers with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, there's a good chance you have a Jelly Bean update headed your way this evening. We're seeing reports from users at TELUS, Wind, Fido, Rogers and Virgin that the Android 4.1.1 update is rolling out en masse, bringing all the great features you've been waiting for.

Ideally you would be notified when it's time for your update, but it's easy enough to check yourself. Open the settings, go into "About phone", tap Software updates and check. The OTA won't wipe out any of your data, and only takes a few minutes to install.

Seeing your update, or already had it? Shout out in the comments, or hit the forums where Android fans love to talk Jelly Bean.

HTC One X vs. the iPhone 5

Next up is the showdown between HTC's flagship One X and the iPhone 5. Much like the Galaxy S3 (Galaxy S III), it's more than just differences in the tech specs, as Android has provided a great base for HTC to deliver a first-class experience that rivals what Apple has to offer.

It's best if you read the previous post showing the comparison between the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5, and there are a lot of similarities.

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. the iPhone 5

Now that the dust is settling, it's time to start the comparisons! We're pretty big Android fans around here, and we've got to talk about how the iPhone 5 matches up to Samsung's Galaxy S3 (Galaxy S III) -- both on paper and the whole "ecosystem" thing. We're not going to try to sway anyone either direction (we think having a choice is great), we just want to lay out all the data we have so far.

Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV player review

Ever since CES 2012 we've been hearing that a Google TV push is coming. First at bat comes from Sony, with their NSZ-GS7 (add in a Blu-ray to get the NSZ-GS9) which features everything you love about Google TV combined with new hardware and Sony's touch in the application drawer. Checking in at $199 puts it at odds with plenty of other (and often cheaper) competition like a Roku, or even a cheap HTPC.

I was a big fan of the first generation of Google TV hardware, so I was excited to have a look how it works with newer, better spec'd units. Read on to see how it went.

Chrome for Android updated with stability and security fixes

Google Chrome for Android has been updated over Google Play, the first such update since Google's mobile browser exited beta at Google I/O back in June. There are no major feature additions in the new version 18.0.1025308, but there is a selection of fixes for "medium"-rated security issues, as well as stability fixes.

The new Chrome also seems a tad speedier on image-heavy sites like Android Central -- let us know in the comments if you're noticing the same effect.

If you're already running Chrome, head to the "My Apps" menu in the Google Play Store to grab the new update. If you're not, you can use the Google Play link above to jump straight to the latest version. Note that you still need to be on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or 4.1 Jelly Bean to install Chrome.